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Characters / The Pretender

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    Jarod and His Family 
General tropes about him and his family include:
  • Tangled Family Tree: Appears straight-forward at first... and then you find out about Gemini, who is Jarod's clone, and Ethan, who is Jarod/Kyle/Emily's half-brother because Mr. Raines implanted Major Charles' sperm into Catherine Parker (which then, of course, sort of makes Jarod and his family related to Miss Parker and Mr. Lyle).
  • Walking the Earth: All of them are walking the earth searching for each other and/or ways to take down the Centre.

Jarod

Played By: Michael T. Weiss; Ryan Merriman (child)

A "pretender", someone with a high-level intelligence who can pass as an expert in practically any field. Jarod was abducted as a boy by the Centre, a nefarious think tank that recognized his abilities as a savant. Trained under Sydney, Jarod ran 'simulations' of deadly accidents and terrorist attacks, believing that his data would prevent such events in the future. He was later horrified to learn that the Centre was doing just the opposite. As an adult, Jarod escaped from the clutches of the Centre to search for his real family.

  • The Ace: Is the best of the best of the Pretenders (any of whom would be considered The Ace by normal human standards), able to insert himself into anyone's mindset, into any job, and pick up any skill set required for whatever he wants to do. Basically, he takes the phrase 'you can be anything you want to be' and literally does do and become whatever he wants.
  • All-Loving Hero: When he's not trying to figure out his past, he's devoting to fighting for the little guy and righting wrongs wherever he finds them. "Pool" also highlights how he finds racism deplorable.
  • Animal Motifs: Dogs. Jarod's personality is like an excitable and compassionate dog, easily fascinated by mundane things and very pleasant to be around. He easily wins friends and loyalty, but when he confronts the villain of the episode, he becomes very ferocious and even frightening as he subjects them to a Mind Rape. In some cases, Jarod violently attacks those who harm or kidnap innocent children.
  • The Atoner: For what The Centre used his sims for.
  • Badass Longcoat: Frequently wears a long, black leather coat, especially when confronting the bad guy of the week in vengeance mode.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: He's a genuinely kind and compassionate person who, simply put, loves people and is fascinated by them... unless you've taken advantage of, or hurt, an innocent, then he's a calculating, unstoppable ball of barely Suppressed Rage (and sometimes not Suppressed Rage), that will set up elaborate Batman Gambits that result in one hell of a Mind Rape, and/or (if you've kidnapped or harmed a child) a beating within an inch of your life.
  • Break the Cutie: He was kidnapped as a kid; tortured psychologically, emotionally, and physically; was kept as a slave to the Centre for thirty years — that's just at the start of the program and it just gets worse from there. Really.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: In any job he takes on he's considered odd, but much too good to fire.
    Fellow F.B.I. Agent: Jarod, has anyone ever told you you're an odd duck?
    Jarod: Odd, yes. Duck, no.
  • But Now I Must Go: To keep ahead of The Centre Team.
  • Can't Kill You, Still Need You: The Centre brass fear exposure and do everything possible to cover things up, but Jarod is just too valuable to them, so they want him back alive. When Mr. Raines attempts to shoot Jarod in the back, he's nearly killed himself. Sydney did it of his own volition, but Mr. Parker is content to let the whole thing drop since Raines overstepped.
  • Catchphrase: "Didn't you?!" and "I'm not really a [occupation]."
  • Celibate Hero: For the most part, because he takes relationships seriously and he is well aware that he's a danger magnet.
  • Child Prodigy: Jarod's age is unknown, but he was shown in elementary school when abducted. According to Sydney, despite his young age and being new to the Pretender program, he was demonstrating more potential than anyone else. He quickly lives up to that potential.
  • Children Are Innocent: As a child, he'd always interrupt the simulations to ask Sydney questions about the subject's life, family, and well-being. Though Sydney would try to keep him focused on the given subject, he didn't stifle this overall attitude (such as Raines did with Kyle).
  • The Chosen One: According to an ancient prophecy, part of which says he will bring about the end of the Parker name.
  • Chronic Hero Syndrome: Is obsessed with helping those wronged by his corrupted Sims, those he feels have been grievously wronged in unrelated ways, and even those he happens to run into at any given time that need help.
    Young Sydney: You can't save everyone.
    Young Jarod: Well, I had to try!
  • Cuddle Bug: Loves to give and receive hugs.
  • Cute and Psycho: He is genuinely kind and compassionate to innocents, but the side of him you see when he is handing out justice to villains is a shock to both those that have met him and the audience because he seems rather a bit psycho.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: His preferred wardrobe is all black, which makes him look quite sinister.
  • Determinator: The man will not give up. Whether it is finding his family, trying to save someone, or bringing justice to someone, he will. not. give. up.
  • Ditzy Genius: Able to pass as everyone he wants yet ignorant of popular culture, although he was progressing in knowing said culture.
  • Double Consciousness: Because he was essentially raised to inhabit the minds of others, he doesn't have a very strong sense of who he is and mentions more than once that he's got many hundred lives in his head (people he's Pretended to be) but none of which are his.
  • Emotional Bruiser: Doesn't have the cultural stigma against showing emotion, but you certainly can't call him unmanly.
  • Everyone Has Standards: There are times when it seems like he lives to troll Miss Parker, but he never brings up her mother without having a very real reason for doing so.
    Miss Parker: Jarod's a pain in the ass, but he's not heartless.
  • Expository Hairstyle Change: Jarod's hair (forcibly kept as a crew-cut by and in The Centre) grows out gradually throughout the seasons as a sort of mark of growth in freedom, individuality, and how much he's going to let The Centre control him even now he's free.
  • Fascinating Eyebrow: Frequently, as he finds a lot of cultural conventions strange.
  • The Fettered: Lives by the principle of protecting and helping others above any other agenda.
  • Flashback Nightmare: A lot. He's got more than enough nightmare fuel in his past.
  • Friend to All Children: A lot of his pretends involve helping children somehow harmed by an incident, and woe unto who harms a child, for he has nearly beaten men to death for doing so.
  • Friend to All Living Things: Kind to every possible animal - even cockroaches. One unseen pretend even dealt exclusively with a farmer using a too powerful cattle prod on cows.
  • The Gadfly: He once broke into Mr. Parker's house. He had a real reason for doing so (acquiring Catherine's hidden letters), but he gladly left a calling card (one of his Pez dispensers) as a way of letting Mr. Parker know who did it just to mock him.
  • Genius Bruiser: The bruiser part grows as the series goes on, since The Centre, quite understandably, didn't teach him any way to defend himself he had to learn after escaping and takes lessons and grows into quite a good fighter.
  • Genius Sweet Tooth: Having quickly discovered sugar after his escape, he loves it in all forms (but especially Pez and ice cream).
  • Gone Horribly Wrong: As he got older, he became more suspicious of The Centre and began to buck the system. Against Sydney's wishes, the leadership brought in Damien to get Jarod under control. Damien proceeded to gain Jarod's trust, betray him, and even murder a janitor Jarod had befriended. However, instead of breaking Jarod, it confirmed every suspicion he had about The Centre and motivated his escape.
  • Guile Hero: While he eventually becomes quite proficient in physical combat, his real combative specialties lie in psychological and emotional manipulation.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: Loves leather coats, especially black ones.
  • Heroic Safe Mode: Of the realistic sort. Learned how to go into this at an early age because he had to learn how to think in dangerous situations and had to put aside pain to figure something out; he can disengage his mind from what is going on and just concentrate on his thoughts while 'some other part' feels the pain. Obviously doesn't always work, because the pain can overcome the safe mode, but it has allowed him to take torture without losing his mind or as much of his spirit as his torturers have intended.
  • Honor Before Reason: In "Bloodlines," Jarod is told that Major Charles murdered Catherine Parker. He doesn't want to believe it, but in "Hope and Prey," he says he'd rather know the truth than live a lie.
  • House of Broken Mirrors: Jarod is not fond of mirrors because they remind him of everything he is not: one and whole. He rarely (except for a few memorable occasions) actually breaks the mirrors to reflect his splintered and broken psyche, but he does tend to avoid lodgings that have them.
  • Humble Hero: Jarod never boasts about his intelligence, skills or his quick-learning abilities and is all-around a very pleasant and warm person.
  • I Owe You My Life:
    • "Spin Doctor": Todd Baxter gave Jarod a ride the night he escaped The Centre and thus got him away from pursuing Sweepers at a critical moment. When Jarod learns of Todd's sudden death, he is committed to finding out the truth and bringing the murderer to justice. Though the other half of this Profiler crossover would reveal that Todd is not actually dead, nor is he the saint that Jarod thought he was.
    • "Junk": As a child, Jarod was subjected by Raines to an experiment involving a new drug; it was hoped to increase intelligence, but it was a failure and had nasty withdrawal that left him in agony. David Arnold helped Jarod get through the worst of it; he was later murdered when it was clear he wouldn't keep his mouth shut about what was going on at The Centre. As an adult, Jarod learns that David's daughter, Jill, is a recovering addict at risk of losing custody of her son; to make up for what happened to David, he's determined to help her and unravel the scheme behind her sudden relapse. When Jill's life is back on track, she asks how she can ever repay him, but Jarod said this is just making things even.
  • Irony: He learns numerous secrets about Miss Parker, Sydney, and others, but he knows so little about his own past.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Despite being obviously attracted to Miss Parker, he sets her up with Nice Guy Thomas purely because he wants to see her happy and he is genuinely upset when Thomas is killed off by the Centre.
  • Jumped at the Call: Jarod immediately began doing good deeds once he escaped, as he felt someone had to help those getting pushed around. Other times take it even farther than that. He usually researches a situation pretty carefully in order to sell a given pretend and to hone in on a suspect, but other times, he stumbles onto situations. He jumps right in regardless and plays things by ear.
  • Manchild: Generally exhibits a childlike wonder and certain amount of childlike innocence, due to being deprived of a normal childhood and any contact with the outside world.
  • The Matchmaker: Sets up Sydney and Michelle, and Miss Parker and Tommy.
  • Missing Mom: Actually has a whole missing family, but his mother is most notably so because he never actually gets to meet her.
  • My Greatest Failure: Failing to stop the serial killer in "Once In a Blue Moon" before he killed his final victim. When a copycat emerges in the present, Jarod is determined to get it right.
  • Nice Guy: Despite his upbringing, Jarod is generally a very kind, empathetic and compassionate person. It's noted by Sydney that Jarod is driven by altruism and a compassionate need to help those he feels he wronged.
  • No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Pretty much every time he's at risk of being recaptured is because he's helping a Woobie of the Week.
  • Noodle Incident:
    • The show opens with Jarod already out of the Centre and, for four seasons, viewers and characters alike don't know how he escaped. A selling point of 2001 was finally revealing how he pulled it off.
    • There are occasional references to unseen pretends, though the most memorable example has to be from "Til Death Do Us Part," where Jarod is said to have exposed a clown as a child molestor. The clown was found in a circus tiger's cage with a piece of meat tied to his privates.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity: As part of his pretends, he downplays how smart he really is depending on what the profession is. He can purposefully play it up, as he springs a trap on someone.
  • Omniglot: Again, comes with being a Pretender. Over the course of the series we hear him speak Spanish, Russian, Sweedish, Apache, and he learns Cambodian within a matter of hours by reading a few books from the library. Jarod also invented his own form of short hand which he uses to keep notes he doesn't want others reading.
  • Pay Evil unto Evil: Combined with Laser-Guided Karma is his favorite pastime. Every single time he solves a crime mystery, he makes the criminal experience exactly what his victim(s) experienced, with the caveat that murderers actually survive the experience. This does come back to bite him at least once, when one criminal with an extreme case of Moral Myopia comes after him in a Roaring Rampage of Revenge, and Jarod has to team up with Parker to survive seeing as a hurricane is bearing down on all of them, and escape is not an option.
  • Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: All the time because of his isolation in The Centre, however, he is eager to pick it up and proudly shows off whatever pop culture he picks up.
  • Positive Friend Influence: Implied to be why Raines didn't want him to associate with Kyle. Raines even later lied to Kyle about Jarod being dead.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: which is part of why his switch over to the rage-filled righter/avenger of wrongs who metes out poetic justice with gleeful relish, so terrifying. Word of God is this dichotomy was intentional to keep Jarod a sympathetic character.
  • Quizzical Tilt: When encountering and trying to understand some sort of human behavior, thinking, practices, item, or pop culture he has never seen before, Jarod will often tilt his head to look at something or while thinking.
  • Red Herring: The "Bloodlines" two-parter suggests Jarod may've been adopted by Charles and Margaret due to the fertility clinic they went to doubling as an adoption service at the time. Later storylines in Season 3 and 4, though, make it clear he's their biological son.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: In "Flesh and Blood," Jarod makes it clear he wants to settle the score with Lyle over what happened to Kyle. Ultimately, Jarod chooses to subvert the trope but still gets some revenge. He makes Lyle think he'll kill him, gets him to beg for mercy, and knocks him out cold.
  • Series Goal: "I wanna know where I come from. I wanna know who I am."
  • Shell-Shocked Veteran: Starts out this way, due to the abuses done to him by The Centre, and from there it just gets worse. This is a particular plot point in "Stolen," where he has nightmares and panic attacks about his abduction.
  • Shrouded in Myth: In "P.T.B.", the Conspiracy Theorist radio show host hands Jarod a file full of newspaper clippings. They're all Continuity Nods to past pretends, with the last one titled "Who is Jarod?"
  • Technical Pacifist: Generally has no problem with psychologically exacting vengeance or punching a bad guy, but doesn't consider death an acceptable vengeance.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: He only breaks this rule under the most extreme circumstances. In fact, he only kills one or two people over the entire 4 year run.
  • To Know Him, I Must Become Him: How he figures out who, how, or why the villain of the week did the deed. Averted in "Once In a Blue Moon" where Jarod refuses (because of the emotional and mental trauma it will cause him) to fully go into a psychotic serial killer's mind, and instead tricks the man into revealing where the next victim was.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Pez candy.
  • Trickster Mentor: Jarod often clues the pursuit team into various secrets or plans involving the Centre, but instead of just telling them outright, he usually makes use of riddles and puzzles that they have to figure out.
  • Un-person: In "Mr. Lee," it's revealed that Jarod quietly disposes of any records or paperwork he used to pull off a given pretend. As Dr. Fein laments while in prison, it's as if Jarod never existed.
  • Walking the Earth: Due to both searching for his family and running from the Centre, Jarod is continually moving from place to place all over the entire country.
  • Wanting Is Better Than Having: He acknowledges in "P.T.B." that, despite dreaming of freedom for years, his escape only led to a different kind of prison, one where he spends every day being hunted and stalked.
  • We Help the Helpless: In fact, in addition to solving people's problems, he'll give them money to help with their issues or to start a new life if need be.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: Jarod is deeply torn in his relationship to Sydney—wanting to be acknowledged as like a son by his Parental Substitute but also resenting him for his captivity.
  • You Are Not Alone: In "Mr. Lee," Susan Granger notes the paradox of Jarod: always there for others but feeling so completely alone himself.

Margaret

Played by: Kim Myers

Jarod's mother. A very kind woman who has been on the run from The Centre ever since they kidnapped Jarod, but has never stopped searching for him. It is implied that she knows more about The Centre than many people inside The Centre, may have been working with Catherine Parker, and has some inkling about The Chosen One status of her son.

  • Determinator: It's been thirty years and she's still not given up searching for her son(s).
  • Law of Inverse Fertility: Was unable to have children until she and Major Charles went to that very helpful fertility clinic... which just happened to sideline in kidnapping special children. They went on to have three children.

Major Charles

Played by: George Lazenby

Jarod's father who used to be an Air Force pilot. Has been on the run since Jarod's kidnapping, but also never stopped searching for him. He and Margaret got split up while on the run and he hasn't been able to find her for several years. Believed to have assassinated Catherine Parker, but that was just a lie created by The Centre to try to get Miss Parker to kill him.

  • Badass Old Guy: Still a force to be reckoned with thought he's at least in his 50's.
  • Dad the Veteran: Was an Air Force Pilot.
  • Determinator: Thirty years? Not a chance he's going to give up. He's still searching for his family and is determined to bring them back together again.
  • The Drifter: Not particularly out to help others, but does it along the way.
  • Hero of Another Story: Major Charles earned a Distinguished Flying Cross while in the Air Force. He also rescued a missing Indian boy, which forms the backstory for "Hope and Prey."
  • Not Quite Dead: Mr. Raines shot him shortly before Catherine Parker was murdered. The Centre Administration genuinely believed he was dead until he turned up at an Arctic research site in "Qallupilluit."
  • Outliving One's Offspring: Learned about Kyle's death mere days after it happened.
  • Red Herring: Said by Fenigor to be the one who murdered Catherine Parker, but it was really Raines (who used Charles's own gun after leaving him for dead).
  • So Proud of You: Commends Jarod for always helping others, despite every bad thing that's happened to him.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: He was separated from Margaret and Emily years ago after a botched attempt to rescue Jarod. By Season 3, he has no idea if they're even still alive and fears the worst. Jarod assures them that they are alive, having seen them himself at the end of Season 1.

Emily

'Played by: Marisa Petroro

The third child of Margaret and Major Charles. Has been on the run with her parents since she was born. At some point she was separated from Margaret after she and Margaret were separated from Major Charles, and, under a different surname, became a reporter so as to have a cover under which to search for her parents and sibling(s).

  • Broken Bird: We don't spend that much time with her, but according to Mr. White, she's tormented by the tragedies that befell her family.

Kyle. Second child born to Margaret and Major Charles, and also stolen by The Centre. See his his tropes under Other Pretenders/Centre Experiments

Gemini. Jarod's clone, created by Mr. Raines. See his tropes under Other Pretenders/Centre Experiments

Ethan. The result of Mr. Raines impregnating Catherine Parker with Major Charles' sperm. See his tropes under Other Pretenders/Centre Experiments

    The Centre Pursuit Team 
Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots (occasionally joined by Miss Parker's personal Sweeper, Sam, and regularly in later seasons by Angelo) have been tasked with the recapture of Jarod. Though they at first clash, they soon form a close bond that has more to do with staying alive through all of The Centre's backstabbing than actually capturing Jarod. They eventually become more allies than antagonists to Jarod.Tropes that fit the group as a whole include:
  • Fire-Forged Friends: Initially they fight and pretty much generally hate and/or fear each other, but become quite the little close-knit family having each other's back within and without the Centre.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble:
    • Miss Parker is the Choleric.
    • Sydney is the Melancholic.
    • Broots is the Phlegmatic.
    • Angelo is the Leukine.

Miss Parker

Played By: Andrea Parker; Ashley Peldon (child)

A former "cleaner" for The Centre who now works as a field agent. Miss Parker is also the daughter of The Centre's chief executive, Mr. Parker. Her allegiances are challenged when Jarod digs up evidence regarding her late mother's alleged suicide — which may have been murder.

  • Anti-Villain: Sure, she might work for an evil organization and try to catch one of their prisoners but she also has difficulties to deal with her past with said organization.
  • The Baroness: Loves wearing Combat Stilettos and Minidress of Power, and is fond of bossing her coworkers of The Centre.
  • Broken Bird: Her mother died in tragic circumstances, first thought to be suicide before being revelated to be murder.
  • Butt-Monkey: A more stoic and dignified example but especially early on, Jared seemed to go out of his way to mess with or generally make a fool of Miss Parker. Notable examples include:
    • Getting a casino security team he was leading to capture her and her people while also implied to have later been stripped searched.
    • Jared compares her to cockroaches via proxy, mentioning both would survive nuclear apocalypse, by a student who mentioned her but didn't know he was talking to Miss Parker. In the same scene, infecting her with a flu.
    • Trapping her and her men by using a super adhesive to anchor them to the floor.
    • All those are lampshaded when they are stranded together in Florida during a hurricane.
  • Conflicting Loyalty: Not so much as an adult, but in "Donoterase," she admits she sympathized with Jarod as a child and regretted not helping him.
  • Cuteness Proximity: Despite doing her best to not let them get to her, she loosens up and becomes very gentle to and around Debbie and Angelo (when no one else is looking, of course).
  • Dating Catwoman: Her relationship with Jarod, however, she's not willing to openly admit her attraction, as where he is (though he just wants to see her happy more even more than see her with him and he sets her up with Nice Guy Thomas).
  • Everyone Has Standards: She's loyal to The Centre, but she often expresses disgust with its shadier operations, such as Lyle getting in bed with the Yakuza to abduct a murder witness.
  • Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: She's a noted smoker.
  • Hearing Voices: Of the positive kind (from where, we know not), if only she would listen to them. It is a gift passed down to her from her mother.
  • Heavy Sleeper: As evidenced by this conversation:
    Jarod: Your gun won't work. I took the firing pin out last night.
    Miss Parker: I sleep with this under my pillow.
    Jarod: And you drool out of the left corner of your mouth.
    (Miss Parker pulls the trigger and nothing happens)
  • Hypocritical Heartwarming: As she says in "Nip and Tuck," she's the only one allowed to terrorize Broots.
  • I See Dead People: Her mother for one at the end of the fourth season, and then the ghost of her great grandfather's murdered daughter in "Island of the Haunted."
  • Inspector Javert: She will hunt down Jarod for The Centre across the United States.
  • Irony:
    • She's effectively a prisoner of The Centre and the only chance to gain her freedom is to take Jarod's away.
    • In Island of the Haunted, she reflects on how the one person she's supposed to hate and capture never hesitates to help her when she's at her lowest.
  • The Lost Lenore: Thomas, whom Jarod sets her up with, is killed by The Centre.
  • The Nicknamer: Comes up with nicknames for just about anyone she comes in contact with. She calls Jarod things like 'Frankenstein's Monster" and "Wonderboy," Mr. Raines "Nosferatu" and similarly themed names, and Sydney "Dr. Frankenstein."
  • Noble Demon: While she verbally abuses Broots and Sydney, she'd also lay down her life for them; while she will do just about anything to recapture Jarod and return him to slavery in the Centre, she won't hurt an innocent (which would be the most effective way to get at him) and is just about as enraged by child abuse as he is.
  • The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: She won't let anyone else capture Jarod. Justified in that if she catches him, she's been promised that The Centre will let her leave.
  • Separated at Birth: She and Mr. Lyle are twins, but Mr. Raines made it seems as though Lyle were dead and adopted him out.
  • Stepford Snarker: Generally hides her pain and any vulnerability with bitter snark.
    Debbie: Why are you so mean?
    Miss Parker: I was born that way.
    Debbie: I don't think you were. (puts down a picture of Catherine and Young Miss Parker)
  • Uncanny Family Resemblance: With her mother (who is also played by Andrea Parker).
  • Villainous Lineage: Wonders if she, along with the other Parkers, are all doomed to be murderers, whether it's just in the blood, or whether she can break the cycle. It doesn't help that in "Island of the Haunted" it is said that her family is cursed because her great grandfather made a deal with the devil and slaughtered his entire family.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: All Miss Parker really wants is her father's approval and assurances of his love.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?:
    • She used to be terrified of Mr. Raines and easily intimidated into following his orders. She got over it after learning he once attacked her mother.
    • "Ties That Bind" reveals she has nightmares about being stuck in The Centre for life, even if she does manage to capture Jarod.

Sydney

Played By: Patrick Bauchau; Alex Wexo (flashbacks to Jarod's childhood)

A psychologist who works for The Centre. He was tasked with overseeing Jarod's development and knows more about him than anyone. Sydney is the closest thing Jarod has to a father, though Sydney refused to return such sentiments. Nevertheless, Sydney cannot deny his paternal instincts for Jarod, and cooperates with Miss Parker's manhunt in hopes of protecting him from harm.

  • Always Identical Twins: He and Jacob.
  • And Starring: "And starring Patrick Bauchau as Sydney" appears in the opening titles.
  • Anti-Villain: He starts out as being committed to the pursuit, as he genuinely believes Jarod can do the most good with the resources at The Centre. Over time, though, he can no longer deny the abuses Jarod was put through or the corruption inherent in the leadership, so he figures Jarod is better off being free.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: He tries to kill Mr. Raines for trying to kill Jarod.
  • Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Mr. Raines pointedly reminds Sydney that Jarod is his only lifeline in The Centre. He adds that the longer Jarod is free, the weaker that lifeline becomes.
  • Conflicting Loyalty: Is torn between Jarod and The Centre. Eventually becomes a mole for Jarod.
  • Disappeared Dad: To Nicholas, but not by choice since he didn't know of his son's existence until the young man was grown.
  • He Who Fights Monsters: In "Indy Show," he feels he has become this.
    (to Jacob) "Since your accident, I've done things - terrible things - to protect Jarod, to protect you. I even tried to kill Dr. Raines, but the bullet hit his oxygen tank."
  • I Choose to Stay: Sydney worked for The Centre when it was actually a force for good in the world. He noticed when things started going bad, but he chose to stay.
    Sydney: There were those that depended on me.
    Miss Parker: Jarod.
  • Ignored Expert: He believes The Centre is being too extreme in its pursuit of Jarod and that they're only serving to drive him further away. His protests fall on deaf ears.
  • Metaphorically True: When Mr. Raines is nearly killed after trying to kill Jarod, Sydney says he's no marksman. He's right; the bullet hit the oxygen tank instead of Raines himself.
  • Motherly Scientist: Tried to keep a detached perspective about Jarod, but came to view him as a son.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: In "Jaroldo!", Sydney is shot and slowly bleeding out. As he gets worse, he says:
    Sydney: I could've saved him.
    Miss Parker: Who?
    Sydney: Jarod. He should have lived a normal life.
  • My Greatest Failure: Either Jarod being held in The Centre or the accident that put his brother in a coma.
  • The Needs of the Many: Partially how he justified Jarod and the other children's treatment and training, the other reason was For Science!.
  • Papa Wolf: Don't touch any of "his" kids.
  • Parental Substitute: Serves as a father-figure to Jarod, and, to a certain extent, Miss Parker.
  • Real Men Wear Pink: Watches soap operas.
  • Shipper on Deck: For Jarod and Miss Parker; Miss Parker and Broots; and Miss Parker and Tommy.
  • Spanner in the Works: His arrival into the action in "Flesh and Blood" is what allows Jarod to turn the tables on Mr. Lyle.
  • Stealth Mentor: To a certain extent to Jarod. He hasn't told Jarod about all the ways he saved Jarod from The Centre both in the past and in the present, so Jarod will think him more a villain instead of coming back to extract him and chance getting recaptured.
  • Those Wacky Nazis: Was kidnapped by the Nazis in World War II as a child to be experimented on, along with his brother because they were identical twins.
  • Twin Telepathy: With Jacob, naturally.
  • You Are What You Hate:
    • Hates Nazis for experimenting on kids, and hates himself just as much for doing the same thing.
    • Learning about how The Centre kept him from his girlfriend and son makes him take stock of how Jarod and others suffered similarly while he did nothing. He also becomes introspective about it when Nicholas is used as a pawn by Lyle to get to Jarod.
      Sydney: How did I get to this? A lifetime working for a corporation that takes my son away from me. And when my son is back in my life, they kidnap him. What's that say about me, huh? Who am I?

Broots

Played By: Jon Gries

A computer expert and the third member of Miss Parker's triad. Unlike other Centre employees, Broots is shown to be a caring family man who is rather out of his depth. He holds no stake in Jarod's capture, but cooperates out of regard for Sydney and Miss Parker, his closest friends.

  • Cowardly Lion: He's frightened and freaks out easily, but he frequently braves sneaking into restricted areas in the Centre at the risk of getting caught or worse, will do anything to protect his daughter and just about anything to protect Sydney and Miss Parker, and can be counted on as a steady ally in times of crisis.
  • Ignored Enamored Underling: Has a crush on Miss Parker, somewhat to his dismay and her amusement.
  • Mission Control: For most of Season 1, Broots would stay at The Centre while Miss Parker and Sydney would go in the field. By the end of the season, while remaining the tech guy, he regularly joins them instead.
  • Only Sane Man: Appears as the voice of reason against Miss Parker and Sydney.
  • Papa Wolf: He does not tolerate anyone messing with his kid.
  • Punch-Clock Villain: he has no interest in doing Centre business the second he clocks out of work.
  • Trapped in Villainy: Would really rather not be in The Centre, but they'd kill him if he left.

Angelo. See Other Pretenders/Centre Experiments folder.

    Centre Administration 

Mr. Parker

Played By: Harve Presnell

The boisterous head of The Centre and father to Miss Parker. His easygoing personality conceals a wily mind.

  • The Bluebeard: Played straight with Brigitte, and juggled without resolution with Catherine.
  • Cain and Abel: Obviously lampshaded by his brother, Abel Parker. Aka Mr. Raines.
  • Consummate Liar: No one (including the audience) can tell when he's lying and when he's not.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He dearly loves his daughter, even if he's willing to manipulate her into helping him get what he wants.
  • The Ghost: Is referred to but unseen for most of Season 1.
  • Hidden Heart of Gold: Appeared quite detached on the day of his wife's funeral and insisted to Sydney that "life goes on." When no one was around, though, he openly wept.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Best summed up in "Amnesia":
    "It's not about who knows what; it's about who thinks they know what and what you want 'em to think!"
  • Obfuscating Stupidity: Comes across as an affable old gent who is obsequious to his superiors, believes the best of everyone, and can't see a threat right under his nose, but is actually one of the most cunning, cold bastards in the series, regularly out-gambitting all comers and playing ambitious rivals Raines and Lyle like a master pianist.
  • Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Killing Mutumbo.
  • Pornstache: Has a rather magnificent mustache.
  • Put on a Bus:
    • At the end of Season 1, he gets called away to account for various developments, including Raines nearly dying. He's missing without a trace until partway into Season 2.
    • He spends the early half of Season 4 on the run from the Triumvirate's forces after (among other things) Major Charles is revealed to be alive and Gemini escapes.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Is almost always dressed to the nines. When he's not, it is a huge signal as to how much power has gotten out of his control.

Mr. Raines aka Abel Parker

Played By: Richard Marcus

A former colleague of Sydney's who ran similar experiments with other children, most notably Kyle and Angelo. At some point in the past, Raines abandoned his doctorate. A chain-smoker, he seems to be suffering from illness and is always accompanied by his squeaky-wheeled oxygen tank.

  • Abusive Parents: To almost every Pretender he's been tasked with taking care of. He turned Kyle into a sociopathic assassin, mentally tortured Dannie, subjected Timmy to torture that destroyed his old personality and turned him into Angelo, groomed Bobby Bowman into becoming the monstrous killer, Mr. Lyle, and emotionally abusive to Gemini, also implied to have been physically abusive. Ironically, this is averted in the case of his real daughter, Annie, as he is seen grieving for her death in ''Once in a Blue Moon''.
  • Animal Motifs: Snakes. Mr. Raines is often referred to as a snake for her evil nature.
  • Bald of Evil: A completely bald man who helps The Centre kidnap gifted children and hold them captive for decades, perform experiments on them, and use their skills for evil purposes.
  • Big Bad: One of the head operatives in The Centre, hated and feared by pretty much everyone else in the organization due to his complete lack of sympathy, empathy and remorse.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Had a daughter named Annie as revealed in "Once in a Blue Moon."
  • Evil Cripple: First his lungs are crippled, making him need his signature air tank. Later loses a thumb but gets it back.
  • Feeling Oppressed by Their Existence: This conversation between Jarod and Mr. Raines:
    Jarod: You stole me from my parents. You had the FBI kill my brother, and now you're trying to kill my family. What have I ever done to you?
    Mr. Raines: You exist.
  • Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: He's a smoker of the evil sort; he'll stop at nothing, including murder, to accomplish The Centre's objectives.
  • Heel–Faith Turn: At the start of Season 4, Raines returns from Africa far more religious than before and though still out to catch Jarod, seemingly more kindhearted. The question is whether this is the result of some Triumvirate torturing, he himself faking it to save his own life, or if it was all genuine. Apparently, it was a fake-out as he's back to his old state-of-mind in the movies.
  • Iconic Item: His ever-present oxygen tank.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: In "Stolen," Mr. Raines remarks that he's always believed that Sydney wants Jarod out there righting wrongs for the little guy. Miss Parker, to her horror, thinks Raines has a point.
  • Joker Immunity: He just won't die. Not even his oxygen tank blowing up can kill him.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: Is Miss Parker and Mr. Lyle's biological father.
  • The Man Behind the Man: Different episodes suggest Raines is this for Mr. Lyle. In "Bloodlines," he arranges for his adoption. "Inner Sense" has Lyle himself mention how "Bobby Bowman" was one of Raines' outside projects.
  • Medical Rape and Impregnate: Mr. Raines artificially inseminates Catherine Parker. Twice. Once with his own sperm, and once with Major Charles'.
  • Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: In one early episode, he remarks that he isn't a doctor anymore and thus no longer bound by the Hippocratic Oath. However, flashbacks show then-Dr. Raines performing medical practices that would've had him immediately stripped of license by a proper review board.
  • Not Quite Dead: He was shot in "Inner Sense" but turned up alive in 2001.
  • Satanic Archetype: Mr. Raines fits this to a T as he's revealed to be The Corrupter to Lyle, having separated him from his family at birth and groomed him into a monstrous sociopath, is the most evil antagonist in the series, displays all Seven Deadly Sins throughout the series, is often called a snake (an animal heavily associated with Satan), and is noted by Sydney to have once been a much more morale and caring doctor before becoming devoid of empathy, morals or remorse. In Donoterase, he's revealed to have been 'playing God' by creating clones, which led to the creation of Gemini.
  • The Starscream: He's pretty brazen about his disregard for Mr. Parker and even tries to have him killed in "Donoterase."
  • Super Breeding Program: Tries to create more Pretenders by using surrogate mothers impregnated with Major Charles' frozen sperm.
  • Vader Breath: Speaks with a raspy voice due to years of smoking and being dependent upon an oxygen tank.
  • Villainous Incest: When seen in retrospect, when you know he's Miss Parker's biological father, his ogling her in the first couple of seasons turns into unutterable squickiness and underlines his evilness.
  • You Are in Command Now: After Mr. Parker jumps out of a plane and not found, he takes command.

Mr. Lyle aka Bobby Bowman

Played By: James Denton

A latecomer who is brought in to oversee Jarod's capture, which The Centre believes has been mishandled by Miss Parker's team. Lyle conceals his sadistic tendencies beneath a veneer of professionalism.

  • Accidental Murder: Insists that what happened to Kyle was just an accident and that he got in the way. Jarod finds this claim dubious since, at the time, Lyle was trying to kill him, which was how Kyle got shot.
  • An Arm and a Leg: Thanks to both Jarod and those in The Centre, Lyle finds himself on the bad side of a Yakuza clan. He disappears for a while, but upon his return, he's missing a thumb - per their tradition.
  • The Bluebeard: Has indulged his serial killing by marrying mail-order brides and then killing them.
  • Bullying a Dragon: In "Past Sim," he brushes off warnings of Jarod taking offense to using one of his Sims to kidnap a murder witness (which also led to the death of a federal agent).
  • Cain and Abel: Is the evil twin brother of Miss Parker.
  • Consummate Liar: It's just better not to trust anything he says. His motto?
    "When in doubt, lie."
  • Devil in Plain Sight: Everybody knows he's an ambitious Manipulative Bastard who will anything to get to the top, but everyone except Miss Parker's team and Jarod seem completely oblivious to the fact he's a serial killer and a cannibal.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: No matter who he works for, he always has his own plans in mind.
  • Easily Forgiven: Part of his game in "A Stand Up Guy" and especially "Red Rock Jarod." He believes that if he walks back into The Centre with a captured Jarod, all will be forgiven.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
    • He frames his adopted father for his own murder (ensuring a life sentence), but this also drives his adopted mother insane. When Jarod points this out, Lyle—if only for a moment—seems genuinely remorseful.
    • Played with after he learns he's Mr. Parker's son. He seems to have some affection for the old man and never makes a move against him (even selling out Raines to him on one occasion), but any love he claims to have for Miss Parker is all an act.
  • Eviler than Thou: In his first appearance, Mr. Raines refers to him as "The Bogeyman." Mr. Parker is also unable to handle him directly, requiring more covert action. Of course, that's when Lyle has a much stronger powerbase in the organization.
  • Faking the Dead: In high school, Lyle faked his death by murdering his best friend, cutting off the head, and framing his foster father for it. He repeats the trick in "A Stand Up Guy" after Miss Parker shoots him, though this is not formally revealed until "Red Rock Jarod."
  • Faux Affably Evil: He appears affable enough, but when things don't go his way, the mask slips.
  • Freudian Excuse: His adopted father disciplined him by locking him in a shed for any misbehavior.
  • From Nobody to Nightmare: Was just a small town ordinary farm boy... until he faked his own death by murdering his best friend and making the body seem to be his and framing his adoptive father for it and is now a Serial Killer with a penchant for cannibalism.
  • I'm a Humanitarian: As revealed in "The Year of Agent Zero," he murdered two women in Thailand years ago and harvested their organs. It's implied he continues the practice.
  • The Man Behind the Man: Attempted with Alex. The Triumvirate tasked Lyle with breaking and molding him after Jarod's escape, but the guy could not be controlled.
  • Not Me This Time: He spends roughly the first half of Season 4 insisting that he is not in league with Mr. Cox and that he did not cut a deal against Mr. Parker, but due to his history of lying, Miss Parker is quite dubious. For once, he isn't lying.
  • Only Sane Man: In Season 3, he proves to be the most level-headed person in the room during family squabbles.
  • Serial Killer: Is one. Has a special penchant for Chinese women, but kills them when he tires of them.
  • That Man Is Dead: Raised as Bobby Bowman, he gave up this identity when he faked his death and took the name of his abusive adopted father.
  • Token Evil Teammate: In Season 3, he's added to Miss Parker's team.
  • Torture Cellar: He has a secret chamber where he chains the Chinese women he's attracted to before torturing and killing them. It's modeled after the shed his adoptive father locked him in when he was a child.
  • Tyrant Takes the Helm: Is in charge of The Centre a few different times when Mr. Parker and/or Mr. Raines are out of town, hospitalized, in hiding, etc.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: His foster mother remarks he used to be "sweet as sugar."
  • We Can Rule Together: Tries a couple times to convince Jarod that they could do much as allies. Jarod knows better than to ever consider it.
  • Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Lyle has done a lot to Jarod and is still breathing. Even Mr. Lee asked why Jarod hasn't simply just killed him and been done with it.
    Mr. Lyle: Maybe he likes me.
    Mr. Lee: Not!
  • With Friends Like These...: In his younger days, he murdered his best friend without a second thought. He doesn't express the slightest bit of regret when Jarod calls him on it.
  • Yubitsume

Brigitte

Played by: Pamela Gidley

Started out as Mr. Lyle's right hand woman, and implied lover. She has her eyes set on climbing as high as she can go in The Centre by fair means or foul, and forms a bit of a rivalry with Miss Parker because she is trying to catch Jarod first. After Lyle's loss of power, she ends up marrying Mr. Parker. She bears Mr. Parker's child, but he (having no more use for her), has her killed by Cox.

  • Becoming the Mask: At first only went out with Mr. Parker because she wanted power, but genuinely fell in love with him.
  • The Rival: She and Miss Parker are each other's. They eventually gain respect for each other after Miss Parker finds out that though Brigitte's "seduction" of Mr. Parker might have initially been a bid for power, she actually has fallen in love with him.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Always has a lollipop in her mouth.

Mr. Cox

Played by: Lenny Von Dohlen

A creepy and mysterious man brought in by the Triumvirate to be a one-man internal affairs investigation.

  • Affably Evil: He's always friendly and polite, even in the midst of assassinating someone.
  • Deadly Doctor: Has a medical degree and training. This just makes him all the more dangerous.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He speaks very fondly of his father.
  • The Grim Reaper: What Miss Parker calls him. He's an assassin and does kill Brigitte.
  • Soft-Spoken Sadist: He never raises his voice and he's always polite, but it's very clear he enjoys making people uncomfortable and even killing them.
  • Taxidermy Is Creepy: Taxidermy is his hobby, and he loves to philosophize about it.

Mutumbo

Played by: Sullivan Walker

Part of the Triumvirate based somewhere in Africa. He is Mr. Parker's superior.

  • Break the Badass: The sight of him sends Mr. Parker, Mr. Raines, and Mr. Lyle to shivering in their boots.
  • Scary Black Man: He's a tall, broad-shouldered Black man who ignites fear in his subordinates.

     Other Pretenders/Centre Experiments 

Angelo

Played By: Paul Dillon, Jake Lloyd (child)

A pet project of Mr. Raines, Angelo was born Timmy, a child savant in the same vein as Jarod. Mr. Raines subjected him to intense shock treatments to enhance his empathic mind, at the cost of his lower brain function. Initially portrayed as an antagonist, Angelo is quickly revealed to be more cunning then he lets on. He considers Jarod his friend and assists him from behind the scenes.

  • Ambiguous Disorder: Aside from having been subjected to electrical shock over a long period of time, Angelo's exact mental condition is never named.
  • Broken Angel: Jarod sends him an angel with a broken wing as a symbol to let him know that he (Jarod) understands and empathizes with how Angelo has been broken.
  • Can't Stay Normal: In "Keys", Jarod concocts an antidote of sorts to restore Angelo's mental capacity, administered in a series of injections which gradually bring him back to "normal" intelligence. Unfortunately, Mr. Raines has been experimenting on another child in the same manner as was done with Angelo. When the vial containing his own final dose is broken, Angelo insists they give it to the child instead, saying, "Let him be a boy," and his own mental capacity slowly deteriorates, and this time it's permanent. The progress is measured by how well, or badly, he plays the piano throughout the ordeal.
  • Detective Mole : Was brought into the series as a supposed antagonist who could predict Jarod's movements, but turns out he's been sending Jarod information on his family and sending him warnings all along.
  • Didn't See That Coming: Timmy had the potential to be a Pretender, but the abilities were latent. The experiments then-Dr. Raines performed on him were designed to bring that potential to the surface and make him like Jarod. Instead, they destroyed his mind and made him an empath.
  • The Empath: Angelo has the ability to "read" a person's belongings or photograph and determine what they're thinking, how they feel, whether or not they're in danger, etc.
  • Flawed Prototype: He was supposed to be a Pretender like Jarod, but Raines experimented on him to make him more efficient and ended up destroying his mind and turning him into something completely different and completely useless for the Pretender program.
  • Important Haircut: As an act of defiance, he shaves his head.
  • Lost in Character: Can become lost (and very difficult to get back) if the emotional state of someone he's empathing is strong enough.
  • Manchild: Of a very sweet and innocent variety. Even when he's almost back to "normal" in "Keys", he plays Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star over and over on the piano.
  • Meaningful Name: Angelo = Angel
  • New Powers as the Plot Demands: Originally started out as a information analyst and computer expert, then being able to lose himself in someone else's personality, then know who held certain objects by absorbing some sort of psychic residue on said objects, then knowing that person's motivations, then having premonitions about people he isn't even around.
  • Odd Friendship: With Kyle. While Kyle was in prison, Angelo tracked him down and wrote letters to him under the name "C.J." (after his favorite food).
  • Smarter Than You Look: Aside from covertly aiding Jarod, he has free-run inside The Centre and can apparently escape at will.
  • That Man Is Dead: A very tragic example: "Timmy's gone."
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Cracker Jacks.
  • Trauma Button: He positively freaks when the pursuit team bring him to a room in SL-27. He tries to smash a particular machine before collapsing from exhaustion. They later learn this was the machine that destroyed his mind and made him who he is.

Kyle

Played by: Jeffrey Donovan, Zachary Browne (child)

Another Pretender, one under the tutelage of Raines, who was trained to be conciousless assassin, but grew uncontrollable until Raines ordered him incarcerated. He escapes and appears to be trying to find and assassinate Jarod's parents, however, he is actually Jarod's younger brother and is just looking for his parents as well and he and Jarod team up together to try to find them. He appears to get killed off at the end of the first season finale, but escapes, only to die saving Jarod's life in season two.

  • Freudian Excuse: Mr. Raines was his caretaker and subjected him to far more violent simulations than Jarod ever experienced.
  • Friend to All Children: In "The Dragon House," he hides out at a gas station, where a kid pleads to go to the bathroom. The boy's father tells him to shut up and makes like he's gonna hit him. That prompts Kyle to nearly break the father's arm and to happily tell the kid where the bathroom is.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: Loves light brown/grey leather coats.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: In "The Dragon House," he says he never intended to hurt Harriet when he kidnapped her; he was just certain that she knew where his parents were.
  • Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Likes it.
  • Long-Lost Relative: Is Jarod's younger brother he didn't know he had.
  • Madness Mantra: "I decide who lives or dies."
  • Meaningful Echo: When rescuing Jarod from Mr. Lyle Kyle says to Jarod the same thing Jarod said to him when he rescued Kyle in the first season.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: Most of the Pretenders fall somewhere in the Manchild territory; he's a bit less so than Jarod because he was allowed out for missions, but definitely on the psychopathic end.
  • Shadow Archetype: To Jarod. Kyle may not be evil specifically, but he is a Pretender that has no problem resorting to violence.
  • Sibling Team: With Jarod. The times they work together, they are pretty much unstoppable.
  • Spanner in the Works: Him being alive is the only reason Mr. Lyle's plan in "Red Rock Jarod" fails.
  • Taking the Bullet: Dies jumping in front of a shot meant for Jarod.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: Invoked at the end of his first appearance, which is in flashback. Jarod sits by himself and wonders aloud what became of Kyle.

Gemini

Played by: Ryan Merriman

Created and conditioned by The Centre to be a more docile version of Jarod, he is a clone of Jarod and only in his mid-teens. He was one of Mr. Raines' projects and was raised to fear and hate Jarod. Jarod and Major Charles rescue him from The Centre.

  • Clone Angst: Doesn't at first believe he's Jarod's clone, then gets frightened about it, but Jarod reassures him and treats him like a little brother (which he essentially is).
  • Clones Are People, Too: Has his own personality and is only really like Jarod in looks and level of intelligence (well, and they both positively adore ice cream).
  • Creating Life Is Bad: Though Miss Parker and then Jarod treat Gemini as a sentient being that should be cared for, they condemn The Centre for effectively playing God by creating him for their own purposes.
  • Designer Babies: He came into being when Raines used frozen sperm and samples from Jarod's parents to clone him.
  • Disposable Vagrant: Broots does some research and learns that the surrogate mothers for Gemini and the prior clone attempts were the disenfranchised, runaways, loners, the homeless, and even coma patients. A number died during the pregnancies; others just disappeared without a trace. As Miss Parker surmises, Raines picked women that no one would miss.
  • For Your Own Good: The reason Raines gives him for locking him up in a bunker his whole life.
  • Last of His Kind: Miss Parker and Broots find a host of dead clones on ice. Broots later determines that there were at least 200 attempts before Gemini.
  • Motivational Lie: Was told by Raines that Jarod killed his parents, so that if Gemini ever met Jarod he would hate him. One wonders how Raines was going to address things when Gemini got old enough to realise that he's the spitting image of Jarod.
  • Properly Paranoid: Though he falls for Raines' lie about his parents, he can't shake the pained look in Jarod's eyes and how similar it is to himself.
  • Troubled Child: Was abused and kept locked in a room without sunlight by Raines, and it's implied Raines beat him if he ever caught him crying.
  • Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Is very serious with no concept of fun or enjoyment, at least until Jarod introduces him to ice cream.
  • Wham Shot: How the reveal of his face is played.

Ethan

Played by: Tyler Christopher
Is the child of Catherine Parker and Major Charles (not either of their choices as Mr. Raines stole a sperm sample from the fertility clinic that Charles and Margaret had gone to, and had it implanted in Catherine during a "routine' operation). He was taken by Mr. Raines and sent to live outside the knowledge of The Centre to be his personal terrorist/assassin, etc.
  • Hearing Voices: A trait passed down to him from Catherine allows him to hear her voice in his head in spite of her having been killed shortly after his birth.
  • Reluctant Psycho: Hates hearing the voice (initially, until it is explained to him it is a gift and he is not crazy).
  • Talkative Loon: How he appears to anyone who doesn't know his gift is for real. He talks back to the voices.

Alex

Played by: Peter Outerbridge
A Pretender who was used to corrupt the findings of Jarod's sims. He hates Jarod with a passion, both because he is jealous of him (for The Centre ever thinking that Jarod was superior to him) and because he blames his recapture while escaping with Jarod to be Jarod's fault.

    Other 

Catherine Parker

Played by: Andrea Parker
Miss Parker's mother. A kind and caring woman who (supposedly) committed suicide (but was actually assassinated for trying to rescue the children who were being experimented on).
  • Friend to All Children: She would visit the children at The Centre and act as a mother figure to them. She actively tried to get as many of them out under the radar, but she was killed before Jarod, Angelo, and others could be saved.
  • Hearing Voices: Of the benign and positive sort, that tell her information. It is a gift she passed down to Miss Parker and Ethan.
  • Medical Rape and Impregnate: She was artificially inseminated without her knowledge. Twice.
  • Not Quite Dead: Subverted. A storyline in Season 4 suggests she's very much alive, as Miss Parker and Broots find her coffin empty, but she is dead. Her death in the elevator was faked, but only so that she could give birth to Ethan later; she was murdered after doing so.
  • Posthumous Character: Her death occurs pre-series, thus all of her scenes are flashbacks.
  • Screaming Woman: Let's out a bloodcurdling scream when she sees what Raines did to Timmy.
  • Spirit Advisor: speaks to Miss Parker and Ethan from beyond the grave, oftentimes telling them whom they can trust.
  • Sympathetic Adulterer: Presented as the good sort, since Mr. Parker was inattentive at best and tried to kill her at worst.

Argyle

Played by: Leland Orser
An opportunist always looking for a quick buck. He's clever enough to get into trouble, but not clever enough to get himself back out. He first meets Jarod when Jarod is injured, and he tries to sell him back to The Centre, but his plan backfires and he is nearly killed by Brigitte, but then saved by Jarod. Afterwards, he takes rather an attachment to Jarod. Despite himself, Jarod finds himself amused by the little man and eventually considers him a friend even if he does take advantage of Jarod's Chronic Hero Syndrome.
  • A Dog Named "Dog": Has a loyal mutt named "Dog".
  • Good Parents: His parents were and are kind, loving people, and he is incredibly devoted to his father (the second episode he's in deals with him trying to save up enough money to give his dad his dream - though it being Argyle he steals money from a gang to do that).
  • Hazy-Feel Turn: In his second appearance. Argyle does morally questionable things, but it's ultimately to get a plane ticket for his father, Benny, so he can see the Pope.
  • Honor Before Reason: In "Unsinkable," he refuses to accept money from Jarod to buy Benny's plane ticket. He says it has to come from him.
  • The Jinx: Endangers Jarod's life every time they cross paths, usually because he never thinks anything through.
    Jarod: Some days, it just doesn't pay to answer your email.
  • Motor Mouth: Talks non-stop, to the point of annoying people.
  • Oblivious to Hints: Entirely. Even blatant Brutal Honesty doesn't get very far with him if it's something he doesn't want to hear.
  • Taking Advantage of Generosity: Takes advantage of Jarod's Chronic Hero Syndrome the second two times they meet, though Jarod is quite aware of what Argyle is doing and doesn't mind too much since it really is for a good cause.

Jacob

Played By: Patrick Bauchau; Alex Wexo (flashbacks to Jarod's childhood)
Sydney's twin brother. Also a scientist in The Centre. Was treated to an "accident" that left him comatose after trying to devise a plan to restore all of the children stolen by The Centre to their parents.
  • Always Identical Twins: He and Sydney look exactly the same, even as old men.
  • Defector from Decadence: He was horrified when he learned the truth of how The Centre got Jarod and the other children.
  • Make It Look Like an Accident: Sydney suspects Mr. Raines caused the accident that put Jacob in a coma. It's never confirmed outright, but a flashback in "Jarod's Honor" shows Raines threatening him.
  • Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Decided that, no matter what the consequences, he was going to get the kids back to their parents.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: You can count on one hand the number of times Jacob appeared, but he was the one who signed Jarod into The Centre the night of his abduction.
  • Twin Telepathy: With Sydney, when Sydney will let him in.

Thomas

Played by: Jason Brooks
A carpenter and all around Nice Guy who woos Miss Parker. Miss Parker is at first suspicious (suspecting that this might be a plot by Raines or Lyle to see if she knows more about Jarod than she says), but ultimately falls for him. Jarod is actually the one who set them up, wanting to see Miss Parker happy.
  • Hero of Another Story: Assisted Jarod on an unseen Pretend. That's how they met and why Jarod believed he'd be perfect for Miss Parker.
  • Honor Before Reason: When it looks like Thomas will take Miss Parker away from The Centre, Mr. Parker offers him a blank check to just leave town and never come back. Thomas refuses, but he also chooses not to tell Miss Parker this, even though it likely would guarantee that she'd leave with him.
  • Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Gender-inverted example for Miss Parker. He's the one positive thing in her life and the only person who makes her genuinely happy. He tries to get her to leave the stress and corruption of The Centre and move to a quiet, country life with him in Oregon, and she regrets not having done so before it's too late.
  • Only Sane Man: Points out how bad Miss Parker's job is for her health and social life.
  • Stuffed in the Fridge: Is killed off because of Miss Parker's intending to quit The Centre and run off with him.

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